Recent reviews by Almighty Mistress

Completed one full playthrough. Immediately started another one. This game is exactly what I was craving for years after Dragon Age and Mass Effect. I don't know how I'll recover and play other stuff later. It's just so good. The story is great, the character specific arcs and storylines even better. Dialogue - amazing, voice acting - next level. And also this game just makes you laugh, and it's so pure! If you enjoy good stories, companion relationships, interactivity, choices, and can handle a DnD setting and DnD-like rules - you need to play this. I love this game so much.

Neighboring Islands is a pirate themed visual novel. With the first chapter currently out it can provide around 2 hours of gameplay/reading.

The story is about as classic, as a pirate story can get. There's a pirate ship, a greedy captain, a mutiny, a shipwreck, and a tropical island. The main character, a reasonable Irish man O'Sallivan with natural leadership skills, is sick of the insane plans his captain keeps making. There comes a point where he can take no more, and along with some of the crew, he decides to rebel against the reckless leader. Things don't go so well, and O'Sallivan along with a French cook, and Tim, the young powder monkey, ends up on a mysterious tropical island inhabited by huge snakes, crocodiles, and savages.

For a fan of the pirate theme, this game is a light form of entertainment. A little easy reading, when you have some time on your hands but don't feel like actually playing a game. Like many visual novels this game does not have voice acting, therefore the reading is all on you. Whether you find that to be a flaw is entirely subjective. I personally prefer reading myself, over a voice actor going through the text, therefore I enjoyed it.

The art is pretty high quality, particularly when showing ships at sea. My personal favorites were the panels showing sharks, as they were done really well, and left me feeling slightly uneasy.

The music is simple, and slightly repetitive. It's mostly reminiscent of typical tavern music in a pirate movie. You can almost imagine a bunch of drunk men singing along to it. It fits the theme, and doesn't get in the way, or distract you from the story.

The big downfall of this game however is the writing. Clearly not made by native speakers, the English is somewhat flawed. There's grammar mistakes, there's misspelled words, and there's just words used incorrectly in context. For a visual novel that you have to read yourself it's a big problem. Since the game is still worked on, I'm hoping these things will be ironed out soon.

To summarize - the game is a simple pirate themed visual novel without voice acting. It presents a classic pirate story, with good quality art, and neutral music, that doesn't get in the way. It's biggest flaw is the use of English in the game, which is full of mistakes, and makes it more difficult to enjoy the story itself. However this may be soon fixed, and it doesn't make it impossible to understand.

For the price, and with the note that it's still being worked on, I would consider this game worth buying if you enjoy visual novels and pirates.

O3DX is fun. That's the first thing you should remember. I'm saying it at the beginning, because this game is early access, and this review is going to mention a lot of things that still need to be improved. But the game is fun, and challenging, and I really enjoy playing it.
What the creators of this game say, is that with O3DX they have tried to create a new game genre. Something different for gamers to experience. Have they accomplished it? Well...
Lets start with first impressions. First impressions are not that great. The first few levels of O3DX are extremely easy, and honestly left me somewhat confused to what the point of the game is. If you've ever heard of Trials Fusion, then you will know what I mean. O3DX is like Trials Fusion, but with cars. If you don't know what Trials Fusion is, it's like a side scroller, but in a 3D environment. Your vehicles is somewhat "glued" to a set path, and all you can do is choose when to accelerate.
The steering is extremely simple, you can accelerate, reverse, break, and lean your vehicle forwards and backwards. Which is where some of my initial confusion came from - in the first levels all I needed to do was hold the up arrow button. You can imagine my reaction, what's the point of game where you just hold one button to complete a level?
However, I looked at some of the reviews, so positive, all mentioning, you should at least get through 6-8 levels before you judge. So I did, and then I got to the good stuff.
What the first levels did was getting me used to how the vehicles react. They also showed off the truly lovely graphics of the various environments that you drive through. (This game is definitely lense flare central, and I love it, I'm a sucker for a good lense flare.) Getting used to the dynamic, cinematic camera angles is another thing. They look great, but they also add some difficulty as very often they won't allow you to see the path ahead. You have to quickly learn to memorize the paths. The first levels also allowed me to enjoy the badassery of the short but very rock'n'roll soundtrack. On a side note, some levels also offer a sudden unexpected slow motion moment, when the car is doing a particularly epic jump. Not gonna lie, it's entertaining.
The developers also mention extremely realistic physics in the game, and I would be willing to agree the cars reactions are usually very much on point. With the occasional sillines, when for example my car instantly flipped onto its hood when it literally touched a wooden plank on the road.
Once you get through the first few levels, and you think you got the hang of this simple game... it gets unbelievably more difficult. The further you get into it the more obstacles the levels introduce. Some of them explosive, some of them mobile, some of them just really really difficult to get through. Having a good feel of the acceleration rate and timing in this game is everything, and it's very unforgiving. When a game is challenging I start really having fun. If I am willing to retry the same level 20 times in a row, that's a sign of a great game.
In the end I do have to remind everyone that this is early access, and early access always comes with a baggage. In the short time I played it, the game crashed on me twice. It also presented sound issues (turned off SFX and music, and yet the slow mo sound effect blasted out of my headset unexpectedly). All in all though it's a fairly polished product by now, and the devs are updating it daily. Literally a day after I played it for the first time they released an update that fixed most of the problems I had.
Would I recommend O3DX? Yes. To people who like rage inducing challenge level, and to people who like simplicity. It got me smiling, and it got me very very frustrated, and then very satisfied, when I managed to beat the challenge that was in my way. And in the end, the only thing that truly matters if you enjoy playing title. And I did. Very much.

The 39 Steps is a beautiful take on a visual novel. And yes, it is a visual novel, if you had any doubts about it, let go of them now. Visual novel, full time.

First, let me hit the up sides, just to get them out of the way. The graphics are gorgeous. Paintings of London, and Scottish landscapes, mountains, tiny villages, all of them absolutely stunning, screenshot worthy to say the least. Once in a while, when one of the characters tells a story, you get a cutscene animated in the cutest, old time cartoon style. Those were really enjoyable, and slightly funny.

Music is delicate, simple and very suitable for the story. Exactly the sort of music you would expect to play in an espionage thriller.

I am kind of torn on the voice acting. On one hand, can't deny it's pretty much perfect, professional on all aspects. On the other hand... it's theater style acting. Which I'm not a fan of in games. It's over the top, exclaiming shocking findings in a fake, obvious tone and such. I feel theater style voice acting should stay in the theater.

But now... The down sides.

The mechanism for progressing the text is definitely original, if somewhat redundant, and in a while gets really annoying. The necessity of doing little circles with your mouse to progress the game quickly gets boring, and before you know it, you start clicking away, trying to hurry it the hell up.

Game also bugged out on me a couple of times in pause menu, forcing me to replay whole chapters, clicking even more furiously, as I've already read all this stuff.

But the real pain is... the story. Perhaps the book originally is way better, more detailed, shows more depth and simple logic. But what we see in the game is an extremely far fetched story, where everyone believes everyone for no apparent reason, where people entrust the biggest, life threatening secrets to strangers they barely met, where all a person needs to do, is change their attitude, to suddenly become unrecognisable...

The amount of ridiculousness, lack of logic and pure stupidity of the story, and its main character, were more than I could bear. After a short while I couldn't enjoy the witty cutscenes, gentle music, or lovely landscapes. I just wanted to be over with it, finish this thing...

If only the graphics, cutscenes, music, and even voice acting were used with a different story, it might have been truly impressive. Perhaps the story requires too much detail to be squeezed into a visual novel, but it didn't work with it, and wasted good resources on something, that ended up being a real pain to get through.

"Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians" is a sweet music and beat based game.

The level of adorableness of this game is too damn high. So let's take it from the top.

The environment is underwater. The beautifully made areas are hand painted, and filled with rock formations, plants, and cute sea creatures. It is all very pleasing to the eye, and generally forces me to smile throughout the whole experience. Also, the environment is not motionless, it is all vibrant, pulsating, bouncing, and swinging to the soundtrack.

The main character is called Beat Buddy. It's a small, blue, bubbly creature with big eyes, and... earphones. Whenever you stop to figure out a puzzle, he floats in the water bouncing his head and swinging his arm, like a real DJ. Did I mention it is adorable?

The game is basically an action-adventure with loads of puzzles, all focused around the music playing in the background. Each obstacle, element, creature has it's own unique sound which always incorporates nicely with the music, creating a beautiful, energetic soundtrack. From jazzy oldschool sounds, through clubby electronic, and even funky-rocky sounds.

While you can solve any puzzle and go through any obstacle without even turning the sound on, listetning to the soundtrack gives you an advantage. The beat, the sounds actually give you small tips and clues, when and how you should move to go through a challenge effortlessly.

The puzzles slowly progress from absolutely obvious to very complicated. It requires logical thinking, timing, and a good ear.

For me, the game is very relaxing. As I traverse the underwater environment, searching for my friends, hoping to save them.. as I bounce, float, punch my way through complicated labyrinths, I feel myself unwind. The music, the soft but vibrant colours, the sweet personality and feel of the game have a wonderful, positive impact on my mood.

So if you would like something gentle, soothing, and adorable. Something that will make you smile, but will still challenge your gaming skills, try "Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians". And don't forget to wear good headphones or turn your speakers up.

As a big fan of good, subtle horror, and amazing stories, I was a huge admirer of "Amnesia: The Dark Descent", and when I heard about the second game, I couldn't contain my excitement. That was sort of my first mistake. Having huge expectations after the first game, I sadly had to be let down. This does not mean the game is bad, this just means, that after "The Dark Descent" it probably just had to go downhill. And even though I would love to judge the two games separately, comparing the two is sort inevitable.

On the up side, I believe the story in this game is way more interesting, heart touching, and creepy at the same time, than the intricate, but slightly… “whatever” story in the first game. It is more personal, and emotional, and the outcome is way more disturbing.
The music has definitely left an impression, and I still listen to "Mors Praematura" from time to time, cause the atmosphere it created was divine. Graphics are noticeably better, as the game is a fresher release.

Yet, as I moved through the empty house, as I watched Mandus' story unwind, I felt complete peace. And this is not what you want to feel, when playing a horror game. Maybe I have developed a strong resistance to scares, cause of my love for horror, but as hard as the game tried - I just could not get scared.

Even though I love the design of the monsters in this game (whom I will refrain from calling by their name, in case you would rather be surprised), I found it hard to fear them. Found them extremely disturbing, but also had a strong sense of pity for them. They just couldn't get me in the "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, running away" mode, that the first game had me in most of the time.

Also the puzzle difficulty in this game is very low, and doesn't require any real thinking skills. Which can be considered an advantage by some, but for me is again, very disappointing.

So in conclusion, I would suggest playing this game for the interesting story, which left a strong unease in my heart, and the amazing music that stays with you for a long time. But if you are expecting getting really scared, or a good mind boggling puzzle, you will probably be left with a feeling of letdown. All in all, not a bad game, just probably not what you would expect.

"Oknytt". It's a lovely, charming, and well-written story, inspired by Swedish folklore. You play as a small, insignificant creature, that meets many strange, magical and creepy beings during a very dark and special night. A warm narrator's voice will guide you through the complicated world of Swedish bestiary.

The small insignificant creature is very small and very insignificant indeed. It can't run, can't jump, can't fight, doesn't have claws or fangs, or amazing powers. But somehow, in the large scheme of things, the small insignificant creature turns out quite significant.

It's a short game, took me about 4 hours, I suppose you could do it within 3-5 hours, depending on how many times you get stuck. It's a typical point and click game, with a few puzzles, mostly quite logical and simple. Once in a while you have to use the classic "use everything on everything" move, when the tips are unclear, but in general, using your brain will get you through it. The interesting thing is the "elements" mechanic, where you can use an elemental power to see how it will affect your environment. You might summon an insect to sit on someone's head, rekindle a fireplace, or start rain. You never know until you try.

What is extremely outstanding is the artstyle. The story is very sweet, almost like a children's book, with a little innocent creature travelling an unknown world and helping others solve their problems. There's simple morals and a simple lesson to be learnt - even the most insignificant ones, can change a lot. The voice of the creature is just cute, and adorable.. like a children's story character's should be... And then you see the artstyle. It's dark. It's extremely dark, to the point of being malevolent. Most of the Swedish folklore creatures you meet look creepy, strange or even dangerous and scary. It's mostly black and white, with disturbing shiny eyes, and unsettling half-human faces. Each new room you explore is a whole new study on creepiness and hidden fears. It gave me chills a couple of times, and hypnotized me completely.

The sounds are very delicate, almost unnoticeable, but playing in with the dark, creepy artstyle perfectly.

As a whole it's a sweet children's story, with a terrifying almost horror-like environment. If you like sweet things, and creepy things alike - like I do, you will enjoy "Oknytt" in all of its splendor.

The game is an old-school four colour CGA graphics platformer. It is also rendered in such a way that it simulates playing on an old CRT monitor. And then there is the crazy futuristic option of playing in the sixteen colour CGA mode!! Whaat?

Sorry, I'm overly excited because this game is epic! I mean, when I dowloaded it, I thought... I can't expect much from a free game, can I?

Boy... I didn't even realize how much I missed these old-school platformers with their monotone computer sounds, and their evil, unforgiving mechanics.

Basically you traverse numerous rooms, all connected, named differently, sometimes with a hint of what you should/shouldn't do, or a bit of sarcasm. You collect power-ups that in time will allow you to go further, higher, or deeper. You keep moving back and forth, through the same rooms, to check how your new found power-ups will help you to move forward.

Which is actually pretty horrible for me, since I have no sence of direction and spacial orientation. I keep getting lost, and forgetting where I'm supposed to go. And believe me. This game is difficult enough without a problem like that.

It is very challenging, you will get lost, you will die continuously (just because sometimes, you have to die to figure out what you should do), and sometimes you will scream out of frustration. There are areas where I died about 50 times before I could move a step forward... and then I would die anyway.

If you are curious what could kill you, there's spikes, and flames, and crabs, and jellyfish, and water, and loads more. Generally, most of the game can kill you, and will kill you at one point or another.

If you miss your old-school 8 bit platformers, with their old-school merciless nature, you should give "You have to win the game" a shot. Especially since it's free to play.

Also there's a cat mode.

And YOLO mode, that's also there.

"Serena" is a free to play, horror, adventure game. Don't expect cheap jumpscares, and freaky monsters running around dark halls. This is not what "Serena" is about. What it really is about, is a journey through a man's psyche.

The whole area of the game is confined to one, small, old, dusty cabin. And in this dark, cramped space you experience a man's thinking process. You walk around the cabin, looking at different pieces of equiment, furniture, clothes etc. The man slowly remembers the story of him, and his girl - Serena, drifting apart.

This game is an experience worth having. If you're expecting scares, well you will be dissapointed. But the mood is extremely creepy and sort of threatening, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything - even though I love horror.

It is unbelievably depressing, but also fascinating. To go through the stages of a person's thinking process. How this man goes through sadness, denial, longing, anger... all these emotions rushing through him in powerful waves. How one hair brush, or bottle of perfume can cause this many associations... This is something most of us have experience at one point or another, due to heartbreak. And it feels liberating to see others go through it so similarly.

And don't worry, the game isn't all just reminscing. There is a mystery. Why is he having trouble with his memory? Why is the atmosphere so disturbing? Where is Serena, and why is she gone? The ending might not be the most surprising thing ever, but it did send chills down my spine. The lack of music only enhances the feelings.

Plus, it's free, and going through the whole thing didn't even take me an hour, so even if you don't love it... you won't really lose anything. So I would suggest you give it a shot, and let yourself immerse in the unhappy outcome of a bad relationship. Experience "Serena".

Element4l - it is charming, adorable, beautiful... If you just look at the trailers or pieces of gameplay, you'll probably come to a conslusion that this is a very relaxing and soothing game. I'll clear that up in just a second.

But first. What exactly is the game? The mechanics are simple, technically it's even called a platformer... You travel different environments: rocky and green, fire with lava, icy and snowy, or watery. And you are an element. First you are a bubble of air, then you gain the ability to turn into a cube of ice, then a little rock, and finally a fire spark. Each form has other abilities and weaknesses. The only control you have, is the form you take. You don't really control the movement, you just turn into the right element in the right area to fly, swim, slide, or bounce around.

The mechanics are brilliant in their simplicity. You press up for air, down for rock, left for ice, and right for fire. That's all you have control of. So it should be pretty easy, right? A simple, pleasant game.

WRONG! Honestly, I don't remember the last time I screamed, grunted, moaned, and cried this much during a game. Since the control is so minimal, you have to hit everything just right, at the right moment, with the right speed and angle. If you don't, you're screwed. Do over.

I'm a rage game masochist. So I just completely adore this game, and can't pull myself away from it. But if you don't enjoy getting absolutely infuriated during a game, maybe you shouldn't try it.

Now, apart from the brilliant mechanics, this game is just gorgeus. The environments are made in a beautiful, soft style. The elements are tiny, with an adorable little smiley kawaii face. The music is gentle and soothing, almost like a lullaby. And, every here and there, you get small remarks from the element that you are controlling, written somewhere on the screen. Like, when you are going underground the element mentions Gollum and the One Ring.

So the whole thing, looking objectively is really just cute, pretty, sweet and adorable.

And then if you play it, and you aren't very adept at it yet, it's hell on Earth.

I love it. If I haven't scared you off yet, try it. It's different, it's clever, it's difficult, and it's cute.